Ordained a Franciscan priest in the Province of the Immaculate Conception in
New York City in 1972, Fr. Goode is currently celebrating his 25th
anniversary as a minister of the Gospel.

One of the leading black Catholic evangelists in the United States, Fr. Goode
is the Director and Founder of Solid Ground Ministry, a Franciscan organization
based in New York which assists black families and all people of color in
reclaiming their dignity. "This ministry," says Fr. Goode, "helps African
Americans acknowledge the strength they have as a people, and supports them in
putting their lives back on track."

But that’s not all. Fr. Goode has been a dynamic and charismatic leader in
the Church since he became a priest. For example, he was the first chairman of
the Office of Black Ministry in the diocese of Brooklyn. He was the founding
pastor of Our Lady of Charity, a faith community of black Catholics which became
the fore runner of black Catholic liturgy, education and community outreach in
Brooklyn.

In 1993, he became the first black Catholic pastor in the Archdiocese of San
Francisco, when he took over St. Paul of the Shipwreck Church. He also served as
the coordinator for African American Catholic affairs for the diocese, as well
as the head of the San Francisco Delinquency Prevention Program and the
President of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission. During his twelve
years as a spiritual leader in San Francisco, Fr. Goode helped to create what he
had previously developed in the East—a mecca for black Catholic worship,
education and social justice.

In 1997, Fr. Goode launched his most ambitious project yet: The National
Black Catholic Apostolate for Life. Commissioned to be a witness for the Gospel
of Life in the black community, the NBCAL hopes to evangelize and challenge the
black community to embrace and live the spirit of love described by Pope John
Paul II in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae. "Our mission as black Catholic
religious," says Fr. Goode, "is to accept our responsibility to be that love for
our community, which so desperately needs to hear in our voices and see in our
lives the Gospel of Life. As black Catholics, we must evangelize the black
community to accept the scriptural call to choose life and to revere life in all
of its various stages. By our commitment to the Gospel of Life, we will labor
for the dignity, respect and worth of each person—born and unborn."

Fr. Goode, who is extremely grateful to both the Franciscans of the
Immaculate Conception and to John Cardinal O’Connor of New York for their
support in starting the National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life, is very
enthusiastic about the success of this new ministry. "We must be bold!" he
proclaims to black Catholics in the United States. "Above all, we must believe
in the power of prayer. I call for all black religious throughout this great
country to come before the Blessed Sacrament, and there, in God’s presence, pray
for the power to truly lead our people and destroy the Culture of Death
forever.!"

Priests for Life is proud to have Fr. Jim Goode as a member, and looks
forward to active collaboration with the National Black Catholic Apostolate for
Life.

Since 1993, Fr. Frank Pavone has traveled to parishes in all 50 states to
proclaim the Church's teaching on abortion and help other priests to do the
same. Since 1995, Fr. Richard Hogan has assisted in fulfilling the many speaking
invitations extended to Priests for Life.

Now, in 1998, Priests for Life is expanding its speaking presence in parishes
from coast to coast by offering to send trained lay staff into parishes to give
a brief post-communion talk. The text of the talk is available on request.

With the pastor's permission, Priests for Life materials are made available
to the people, especially our practical handout You Can Save Someone's Life
Today! This brochure contains suggestions for pro-life activity gathered from
our direct, personal contact with pro-life groups throughout the nation.

Likewise, the weekend presence of a Priests for Life staff person in the
parish gives the people the opportunity to become supporters of the work. The
Priests for Life BRE's are left in Church so that parishioners may either give a
contribution that day or send one in the mail.

Donations to Priests for Life are tax-deductible, and are used to train the
clergy to teach about abortion, to provide alternatives to abortion, to offer
the healing and forgiveness that people need after abortion, and to organize
their people to respond to the abortion tragedy.

No stipend is asked for the speaker. The speaker, furthermore, will be happy
to meet with those in the parish who coordinate pro-life activity, to provide
them the benefit of guidance and counsel based on the experience of Priests for
Life.

As a result of this project, a clear and compassionate message on abortion is
given to those most likely to rise to the occasion and do something about it.

If you are a parish priest, please have a Priests for Life speaker come into
your parish soon. If you are a lay person, please bring this invitation to the
attention of your parish priests. For more information, call the Priests for
Life office at (718) 980-4400.

Priests for Life enjoys a good relationship with the leaders of Promise
Keepers. We are happy to publish the following letter from Promise Keepers
founder and CEO, Bill McCartney--

Dear Clergy,

It is with a feeling of great privilege, excitement and awe that I write you.
I believe that God is doing a remarkable work in our midst -- He is stirring His
church and moving powerfully on the hearts of men in America. I cannot imagine a
greater time to be a pastor than right now.

On October 4th, hundreds of thousands of men gathered at the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., for a Sacred Assembly. To capitalize on the momentum of God's
outpouring at Stand In The Gap, Promise Keepers will host 9 one-day regional
pastor's conferences at no charge, located in these cities:

Philadelphia, PA Jan. 15 Dallas, TX Feb. 12

Denver, CO Jan. 22 St. Petersburg, FL Feb. 19

San Diego, CA Jan. 29 Portland, OR Mar. 10

Nashville, TN Feb. 5 Indianapolis, IN Mar. 12

Charlotte, NC Feb. 10

Our theme for this intensive outreach is Our Extraordinary Hope.

It is our hope that you will conduct your own state clergy gatherings
thereafter, building a growing network of pastors committed to spiritual
revival.

In addition, we believe God has called us to enlarge our outreach to men by
making all of our events free of charge. Therefore, in an obedient step of
faith, beginning in 1998 our stadium and arena conferences will have no
admission fee.

Promise Keepers can help sound the trumpet, but only churches can do the
discipleship and only pastors can provide the necessary leadership. Will you
consider joining us at one of our regional events? If so, please call:

1-800-888-7595

and let us know, so that we may provide you with more information.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration. With faith, hope and love, I
remain,

In the great plan of the Church's preparation for the Year 2000,
the new year 1998 is dedicated to reflection on the Person of the Holy Spirit.
This plan, of course, calls for more than mere reflection in the mind. It calls
for a deeper relationship and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, a deeper love and
obedience, a deeper absorption into what the Holy Spirit intends to accomplish
in our lives and in the world.

In the Priests for Life newsletters of 1998, we will engage in reflection on
the Holy Spirit and what He says to us about our pro-life commitment. We
encourage all our members to preach and teach on these themes at various
opportunities during this year.

Who is the Holy Spirit? The first thing we say about the Spirit in the Creed
is that He is Lord. "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord..." The Holy Spirit
is not someone secondary or inferior to God; He is God. He has all the
knowledge, power, authority, love and divinity of God, and is equal in every way
to the Father and the Son. He always was and always will be.

We therefore worship and adore the Holy Spirit. "With the Father and the Son
He is worshiped and glorified."

The equality of the Holy Spirit with the other two Persons of the Trinity may
seem to some to be an abstract idea with little practical relevance.

But the practical relevance is immense. It challenges us in the formation of
our judgments and the conduct of our lives. What does following the Holy Spirit
mean?

Some imply that the Holy Spirit leads us beyond the teachings of the Father
and the Son, exempting us from the commandments and relieving us of the demands
of the Gospel. Some are tempted to avoid the demands of concrete teachings of
the Gospel and the Church by appealing to the "Holy Spirit" who is leading them.
Some even commit abortions with these words on their lips, and I have personally
heard it many times.

Yet the Holy Spirit can never contradict the teachings of the Father or the
Son, because He is the Spirit of the Father and the Son. Our Lord says of Him,
"He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears--He will bring
glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that
belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what
is mine and make it known to you" (Jn.16:13-15).

Indeed, the coming of the Holy Spirit continues the presence of Christ
Himself. In promising that He will send the Counselor from the Father
(Jn.14:16), Christ then says, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you"
(Jn.14:18). When the Spirit comes, Christ comes. "The Counselor, the Holy
Spirit...will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said
to you" (Jn.14:26).

As the centuries and millennia move on, the Church grows in her understanding
of the revelation given once and for all in Christ, and learns better how to
apply it to the changing circumstances of history. This is the work of the Holy
Spirit. But it is a better understanding and more effective application of the
same teaching, not a transformation of one teaching into another.

The Church's teaching on the sanctity of life, and on the sanctity of the
life in the womb, will never change. The Holy Spirit gives the faithful the
ability to grasp this teaching, and the strength to live it even in the most
difficult circumstances. The Spirit does not just speak and preserve; He
empowers and strengthens! May that Spirit keep all God's people strong and
faithful in the truth about human life.

I am happy to report that I am in good health. During the summer I had a case
of myelitis (nerve inflammation) which was causing some pain and numbness on my
left side. This condition takes a long time to subside, but it indeed has
subsided and all is well.

I appreciate the prayers and concern of so many people who heard of my minor
illness and responded in such a deeply Christian way.

The work in Rome is going well, and involves guidance and encouragement to
the many pro-life and pro-family movements throughout the world. Cardinal
Lopez-Trujillo, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, of which
I am an official, is a prophetic and energetic apostle of life. It is a great
pleasure to work with him.

The Pontifical Council for the Family was established by Pope John Paul II
precisely in order to foster the pro-life and pro-family work of the Church.
Issues and concerns related to these areas are ultimately handled by this
office. The Pontifical Council for the Family conducts conferences and seminars
throughout the world to enable the Church to carry out her pro-life, pro-family
mission. Its mailing address is Pontifical Council for the Family, Piazza San
Calisto 16, 00120 Vatican City State.

On USA matters, I continue to be grateful to Fr. Richard Hogan for all the
traveling and speaking he does on behalf of Priests for Life. In addition to his
presence, I would like to welcome other priests to this ministry on a full-time
basis. I invite you to pray with me that those priests who are called to
full-time pro-life work may discern that call, in union with their bishops, and
be able to enrich the Church by means of this apostolate.

We can never adequately thank His Eminence, John Cardinal O'Connor, and
Archbishop Harry Flynn, for their generosity in releasing me and Fr. Hogan from
other duties to foster the ministry of Priests for Life.

Nor can we adequately thank each and every one of you for your commitment to
the defense of human life. We've only just begun!

You are encouraged to remember the following
intentions as you pray the Liturgy of the Hours:

January intention: For the success of the 25th Annual March for Life in
Washington, D.C.

February intention: For the full conversion of abortion providers who are
considering leaving the abortion industry.

Rio Declaration Issued

Following the inspiring Second World Meeting of the Holy Father with Families
in Rio de Janeiro from October 1-5, 1997, the Pontifical Council for the Family
published the conclusions of the Theological-Pastoral Congress held during those
days. Priests for Life was happy to have a significant role in this work. Fr.
Frank Pavone, as an Official of the Council, assisted in the drafting of the
document, and Fr. Richard Hogan served as one of the presenters in the workshops
of the Congress. Among the conclusions were the following words: "We call
on the clergy to build up the spiritual family of the Church through parish
ministry to families, which includes teaching and preaching on the dignity of
human life, marriage, and the family."